Fight Fixin’ was once
a regular column at theScore.com, but has now been transplanted to
MMARatings.net. It will come out after each big UFC and Strikeforce
event and feature possible matchups for every main card winner from the
previous night.
MATT MITRIONE
The Matt Mitrione hype train officially crashed when he lost via first-round knockout to Roy Nelson in the main event of the TUF 16 Finale.
Although he looked sharp in the early goings of the fight, Mitrione eventually
caught one of those bombs Nelson has in his fists, and went down for the count.
It was a disappointing loss for Mitirone, who has now
dropped back-to-back fights to Nelson and Cheick Kongo. For his next fight,
Mitrione needs to fight someone lower down the ladder. I say he fights another
athletic heavyweight coming off a loss, Stipe Miocic. It would be a great fight
that would please the fans, because there’s no doubt in my mind one of the two
is going to sleep.
Fight to make: Matt Mitrione vs. Stipe Miocic
MIKE RICCI
A dreadful performance by Mike Ricci in the finals of “The
Ultimate Fighter” season 16 against Colton Smith leaves the teammate of Rory MacDonald with a loss in his UFC debut. The fight was so bad that the UFC might
not even give Ricci another fight in the Octagon, but I think if he makes the
drop to 155 pounds like he has expressed an interest in doing, he should get
one more shot.
For his next fight, I say match Ricci up with Rafaello Oliveira. The veteran BJJ black belt presents little in the way of standup, but
if he can get the fight to the ground, he can give anyone fits. However, his
takedowns aren’t as good as Smith’s, so if Ricci can stuff the takedowns, he
should be able to score the knockout and exhibit some of the potential that we
all know he has.
Fight to make: Mike Ricci vs. Rafaello Oliveira
SHANE DEL ROSARIO
Although he started the fight off strong, it was clear that
cardio would again be Shane Del Rosario’s downfall, as the big heavyweight
started gassing and paid for it with a knockout blow from the hands of Pat Barry, who emerged victorious as a big underdog. Del Rosario has now lost both of his UFC fights and needs to get back on the horse.
Although Mitrione is an option, I would prefer if the UFC
gave Del Rosario someone lower down the ladder, so I propose Del Rosario vs.
the loser of Todd Duffee vs. Phil de Fries from UFC 155. Both guys would be
good opponents for Del Rosario, and the matchmaking is fair, so I think it
makes sense.
Fight to make: Shane Del Rosario vs. Duffee-DeFries loser
JONATHAN BROOKINS
It’s back to the drawing board for former “Ultimate Fighter”
winner Jonathan Brookins after another losing performance, this time to Dusitn Poirier in the opening fight of the night. Brookins was submitted by a D’arce
choke, and has now lost back-to-back fights via tapout. It’s clear that he’s
hit a wall in his development and needs to take a step back in his next fight.
The UFC needs to give Brookins someone lower on the ladder
and try to get him a win to get his confidence back up. One fight I would like
to see is Yaotzin Meza vs. Brookins. Meza took a short-notice fight to get into
the UFC, and was humiliated like expected by Chad Mendes the previous night at
UFC on FX 6 in Australia, but the UFC will give him one more fight as a sign of
good faith. I say that should be Brookins, because if Brookins can’t beat Meza,
then he doesn’t even deserve to be in the UFC.
Fight to make: Jonathan Brookins vs. Yaotzin Meza
